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We kicked off 2015 by playing tag with a double round of gross colds & sinus infections, woohoo! I got the worst of it (did I miss the memo?). I'll spare you the other boring details about our lives lately because no matter how busy I might feel, it's minimal compared to what lots of you are experiencing. Saving my whine for wine time. I think we live in an age of oversharing, yes? Like we have to talk/social media about how crazy-busy we are or else omg no one is going to believe us otherwise ;-)

So I'm just chugging along, extremely caffeinated, doing my best every day to raise a fine young lady/future Nobel Prize recipient (Her thing right now is announcing her farts in public, so yes this is all going very well.), checking long after we leave the house to make sure I put on pants that day (I did. Except for that one time). Also, I am very busy just so you know.

I'm so close to putting the finishing touches on our master bedroom refresh. This space hasn't seen any drastic changes in five years. That's like an eternity, so it was due for an update in my eyes. Last November, I painted three walls Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray & the fourth wall Benjamin Moore Soot. As in a black accent wall. I'm bringin' accent walls back (yeah!). Now, thanks to birthday gifts from my very generous in-laws, I'm thisclose to wrapping things up in here & loving the look.

I remember, as a kid, time felt like it moved as slow as molasses. But something happens to time as we get older & it seems to move at the speed of a thousand wings (as my mom always says).

Add an excited three year-old to it all & I'm wondering how Christmas is suddenly just days away. There are so many things I wanted her to experience this year.... Ice-skate outside at the quaint neighborhood rink! Decorate her very own gingerbread house! Trim a mini tree for her room! Watch the parade of lights, front row! Wear her very own tacky, festive sweater! Christmas craaaaafts!

But this year more than ever, I'm mindful to slow it down & appreciate the spirit of this season. The spirit of goodwill, good vibes, gratitude, joy....I try not to take these feelings for granted because I know that for those who have been dealt a difficult hand in life, this season might not bring about those emotions. When Quinn gets asked by well-meaning folks "What do you want Santa to bring you?", I'll be honest here.....I cringe a bit. We're fortunate to have a warm, peaceful home, food in our bellies, & good health. It's more than enough. More than some could ever even hope for.

My wish is for her to love & give & be joyful, not just around the holidays but throughout the year. And also for her to look back on her childhood & remember how magical it was (yes, including presents). I know, I know....she's young, let her be a kid, there's time, God willing, but my head swirls with these thoughts often.

Motherhood, man....making me feel all the feels.

Are you still here? ;-) I don't have a beautiful blogger holiday home tour for you, full of wonderfully styled rooms right down to Hunter boots stuffed with pinecones (was that me trying to cram some into my well-worn boots or did I dream that). Other than a new roll of giftwrap, I worked with what was on hand.

Snapshots of how we do festive around here!

A snip of backyard evergreen, a glittery pinecone, ribbon, plus a Command hook for the front door.

Giftwrapping is all fun & games until I've done a few....then I'm all "Let's just stuff the rest in gift bags."

Quinn helped me dot the snow on the middle tag.

She also tangled all the baker's twine.

I iced (poorly), Quinn decorated. She went to town & is so proud. As am I.

I'd live in this gingerbread house. Yep, definitely.

I forgot to snap a photo of the tree. We had it set up back in October for the Home Depot Holiday Style Challenge(thank you to those who checked it out & left such kind comments!). We took it down to accommodate Quinn's birthday bash....and only just put it back up a couple days ago. Quinn got free rein to decorate it with our old mishmash collection of sentimental ornaments as we sat back & watched. It's kooky & glorious, I must say.

Happy Holidays to you & yours! Wishing you joy & peace.

It's a mad, mad world out there--our nation, the world at large.

Peace is at the forefront of my mind, as it undoubtedly is for many people.